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(11/15/11 3:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Throughout an arrangement of locker room soliloquies, athletic montages and a flare of auto-tune orchestration, “The RecSports Anthem” made its debut in the YouTube and Facebook communities Nov. 11. “There are some times in life when you just gotta let it all go,” narrator Steve Mech preaches to the online audience. “Let it all go, clear your mind and break a sweat.” Campus Recreational Sports and Perfect Cut Productions teamed up to produce the four-minute and 59-second musical announcement advertising the facility, services and activities available at RS.“I functioned almost entirely within the creative sector of things, cast in the role of composer, lyricist and performer,” Mech said. “I was approached by the student staff and asked to create a promotional song highlighting all the different activities offered to the IU community by Recreational Sports.”The video, rife with segments of dancing students and scenes depicting a number of athletic scenarios, “highlights all of the great parts of the Recreational Sports system with an addicting beat you won’t be able to get out of your head,” according the official video release Facebook page.“With that goal in mind, as well as some directions and an outline of all the RS programs/services in hand, I wrote the best song I could, shamelessly plugging the many qualities of RecSports wherever possible while maintaining adherence to organizational policies, vantages and vocabulary,” Mech said.Mech said the video was student-led. “To the point of the video itself, I only had to recreate and reinterpret the narrative set before me and enjoy myself doing it,” Mech added.Behind the scenes and auto-tune-free was Coordinator of New Media at RS Michael Walker. “My role in the RecSports Anthem music video, as in other Recreational Sports promotional videos, was that of the producer,” Walker said. “I oversaw the day-to-day development of the project, was a logistical resource for the talent and production staff, as well as ensured that our video represented the messages that we as Campus Recreational Sports intended to promote.”Walker said “The RecSports Anthem” video is one in a long line of fun and entertaining promotional videos the group has produced in recent years. “We are constantly evaluating relevant trending marketing techniques and will continue to look to IU students to help us think of new and engaging projects such as these in the coming semester and years,” Walker said.
(11/10/11 4:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Lauren Spierer, 20, is a blonde, blue-eyed IU student from the upscale New York community of Scarsdale. Bloomington resident Crystal Grubb, 29, was a young mother whose extended, working-class family has a history of police run-ins.Although both disappeared in Bloomington, the search effort and media coverage surrounding the two women differed drastically. There are an average of 100,000 active missing persons cases in the United States at any time, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. With that many cases, not all of them can receive the same amount of attention.“Missing White Woman Syndrome” is a term used by media critics to describe the phenomenon behind the coverage of missing persons falling under specific, designated criteria: Caucasian, female, often attractive and blonde. Missing persons who do not fit this category often receive a disproportionate amount of coverage. Spierer went missing June 3 after a night of partying with friends downtown.Thousands of volunteers searched Bloomington multiple times a day for the missing student as TV news crews arrived in town. The Indiana Daily Student devoted several front pages to the story.Grubb went missing Sept. 18, 2010, after she allegedly stormed off angrily from a group of friends with a known history of drug use. In October 2010, Grubb’s body was discovered in a cornfield near North Showers Road in northern Monroe County. The media coverage and public interest in Grubb’s case was short-lived. Despite being mentioned during the Headline News TV program “Nancy Grace,” coverage of Grubb’s disappearance failed to gain much traction. To date, the IDS has published seven articles about Grubb since her disappearance. Finances were evidently a struggle for the family, as it announced shortly after Grubb’s body was discovered that it was having difficulties meeting the expenses to pay for a funeral.Detective Brad Swain of the Monroe County Sheriff’s office, who is investigating Grubb’s murder, said law enforcement personnel have no real way to control the coverage or content the media produce. Maintaining the public’s interest in cases such as that of Grubb is difficult compared to other cases, he said.“There’s been a great deal of interest in Lauren Spierer’s case for a long period of time,” Swain said.Swain said because of the working-class demographics of the Grubb family, the methods the family employed to get the word out about their daughter’s whereabouts were perhaps not as sophisticated as in the Spierer case. For example, social media resources, such as Facebook and Twitter, have played dominant roles in the ongoing search for Spierer.Swain said he believes the individuals behind the Spierer investigation are utilizing the media to their advantage.Three arrests have been made related to Grubb’s case but on charges of producing methamphetamine. So far, with a lack of physical evidence, the individuals cannot be connected to Grubb’s murder, Swain said.And despite all the posters, TV news reporters and massive search parties, Spierer’s case also remains unsolved — a similarity the two women do share.
(11/09/11 5:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Ken Stickford’s voice started slow and deep, but in a matter of seconds, it was suddenly joined by others singing praise. “I’m going to need as much help up here as I can,” Stickford said to the crowd of about 20 men as he prepared to lead them in song.“Amen,” a man shouted from his seat in front of the lecture podium. “Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?” the crowd of men sang.Stickford is the weekend night chaplain at the Backstreet Missions shelter for men. He is a graduate of the services that Backstreet offers and now finds himself on the volunteer side of the fence, offering his services wherever they can be used.He said when he was a member of the program at Backstreet, he always felt called to serve others in the shelter and to become proactive within the walls of the facility. * * *According the most recent census report by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2010, Bloomington’s poverty rate, at the time of the report, stood at 39 percent. This figure is about 25.8 percent higher than the statewide rate (13.2 percent).Bloomington has been seen as one of the cities with the most resources for the homeless according to residents at Backstreet.Robin “Butch” Honeycutt, a resident staying at Backstreet Missions, said he believes homeless people flock from all around to take advantage of the services Bloomington has to offer to its homeless community.Honeycutt said he speaks from experience. At one point, he was living out of his van and doing his best to get by on a daily basis. Honeycutt once lived a life he described as typical: married with a child, maintaining a management position at a restaurant and attending classes in hopes of becoming a psychologist. He became addicted to pills, first having experimented with them at parties in his junior year of high school. “There’s certain people that have to be that way, and there’s some things you can’t do anything about, but not all of them,” Honeycutt said. “(The homeless) could go to all these different places and get free things. That’s why they hang around.” His addiction led to what he described as his downfall, but he also described that downfall as one of the best things that ever happened to him seeing how it allowed him to view the ongoing adversities present in his life from a fresh perspective.“Sometimes, we look at people that are addicts or homeless, and it’s easy to see flaws,” Honeycutt said. “Everyday people in life have the same problems. You can mask things pretty well. You might see somebody that has a nice life, and their life inside might be just as destroyed. I would say with anything, with my life, if I would’ve had self control and discipline, those two things, none of (my homeless situation) would’ve happened.”Honeycutt said he realized he had reached a breaking point one morning as he lay in his bed, sweating and wrapped in a blanket, doing what he could to maintain his body heat. It was just another withdrawal, he would tell himself. Like other mornings before, his son would come and stand bedside wanting to play with his father. But each time this would occur, a broken record played in the place of a father’s words to his son. “Daddy’s sick,” Honeycutt would often say to his young son. This was just a typical morning. It had happened hundreds of times before. But this time something was different. Honeycutt said something just clicked. He proceeded to seek the help that was long past due.“You can’t go on desires all the time,” Honeycutt said. “That’s what gets you into trouble. You get mad, and you want to say something. That’s a desire. It could destroy you. When I get upset, my first instinct is to take a pill. It’s a desire. You see a girl, and you’re married, and you cheat. It’s a desire. Desires destroy you, and that’s where discipline and self-control come in.”Honeycutt said he believes there exists a set of factors that would ideally contribute to a person’s downfall. He described these factors working in cohesion and ultimately accumulating in a life on the street.“My main problem is I don’t have self-control, I don’t have discipline, I procrastinate and I set my priorities in the wrong order,” Honeycutt said. “Those are the four things that will cause a downfall in a person to me. You have to want it. You have to do it for yourself. You have to really want to change and fix those things. If that isn’t first, everything else will fall.” Honeycutt said the biggest reason people are addicts is because they’ve become accustomed to the habit of doing drugs. “It goes back to the laziness, the self-control, the discipline and procrastination,” he said. “They don’t want to put the effort in. I’ve been there, so I can say these things. I’ve sat on the couch for three months and flipped through channels, ate pills and not wanting to go put applications in. It’s sad to say, but it’s the truth. I’ve been around it, so I know.”Backstreet Missions is a high-barrier shelter, meaning those who show up to utilize the services may not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of treatment.A women and children’s shelter also associated with Backstreet is located down the street from the all-men’s shelter.Poverty and homelessness in the streets of Bloomington are discussed across many platforms, ranging from political debates to personal conversation. People who have lived on the streets said the problem is not in how to accommodate the homeless population, it’s how to manage it.“It’s crazy, but if these resources were to get taken away, like this place right here (Backstreet) requires that once you enter into the 90-day program to turn in a piece of paper once a week stating how many jobs you applied for,” Honeycutt said. “It puts pressure on them and keeps them accountable. That’s a lot more to say.”* * *As the chapel service continued, the men’s voices progressively became less independent and began to intertwine as one universal voice singing aloud.Their eyes were glued to the ruby hymnals that lay in front of them, and the group of men sang, “Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?”
(11/01/11 3:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When freshman Billy Rohaly hit his head last month and experienced symptoms related to those of a concussion, emergency personnel were summoned to the scene. Witnesses said the paramedics took approximately 15 minutes to arrive and assess the situation.“It was important to me that my injury was treated in a timely manner, and from what I was told after the situation, I was waiting a long time,” Rohaly said.Kelly Mullis, director of emergency transport services at IU Health Bloomington, said there are several factors that can affect ambulance response times, including traffic and other circumstantial influences.“I wasn’t in any position to gauge how quickly the emergency team responded to the scene, but I would hope that in similar situations, students would be subject to professional and responsible treatment,” Rohaly said, reflecting on last month’s incident. “In my opinion, an ambulance arriving at the scene as quickly as possible would be a good example of professional and responsible treatment.”Indiana Public Media released a report in October stating that a dilapidated database system containing the names of all campus buildings and addresses may be a factor in delayed responses.Mullis said the average arrival time for an ambulance unit is 7.19 minutes.She also said the main contributing factor for the late arrival of an ambulance unit is the placement of the actual ambulances.Personnel aim to respond to any medical emergency under the national average of eight minutes, Mullis said. “Ambulances are strategically based in this county. Sixty percent of runs are in the city,” Mullis said. Mullis said state-of-the-art software installed in all ambulance vehicles allows headquarters to track all activity of the trucks. The driver activates the software by pushing a button when he or she enters the vehicle.“All of our 911 calls come in. We have an internal policy that gives us a guideline for how long someone should be out of the station,” Mullis said.All situations involving a late arrival to a scene are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.“We’re always looking to do better and improve. Our goal is excellence,” Mullis said.
(10/31/11 2:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The suspect who is in custody from the Sunday morning shooting at the 1400 block of North Jordan Avenue was apprehended by authorities and questioned Sunday, IU Police Chief Keith Cash said.Jeffery Durbin of Kokomo, who is not an IU student, was arrested on charges of intimidation, criminal recklessness, pointing a firearm and carrying a handgun without a license.At 2:57 a.m., officers responded to a report of a man firing a weapon in the air outside the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity house.“This male, not a house member, was waiting on a ride,” Cash said in a prepared statement. “He became irritated while waiting and pulled out a gun, pointing it at a fraternity member. He then began to wave the gun in the air.”Cash said the incident started at the conclusion of a fraternity Halloween party as visitors were leaving the house. He said while the fraternity members were fleeing back inside the house, they heard gunfire.“Immediately, IUPD, along with the Bloomington Police Department, set up a perimeter from Fee Lane to the 45/46 bypass,” Cash said in the statement.The male was seen walking up the driveway of the Phi Kappa Sigma house. Officers at the perimeter noticed the suspect attempting to enter the house of sorority Phi Mu.Authorities arrested the suspect,and there were no injuries. Shortly after the arrest, the weapon was recovered nearby, Cash said.“The investigation continues,” Cash said.IU students and parents registered to receive alerts from the IU-Notify system received a string of text messages, emails and automated phone calls to draw attention to the campus shooting in the early-morning hours. “It’s scary to think that would happen so close to here. It just seems like a lot of things are piling up,” junior Emma Rimmele said. “It was good that it was contained really fast. I think that it handled it pretty well.”She said she received a call from her mother, who was concerned and asked her for more information.“(My parents) actually called me this morning. They were really freaked out about it,” Rimmele said. “They’re nervous, but I told them everything is fine. I guess I feel a little better about everything just to know that nobody was injured. It’s still scary nonetheless.”Although students expressed positive feedback as to how the University kept the campus informed, some questioned the wording of the messages.“I got a phone call, and I did get an email. I called my mom this morning,” student Maddie Rossman said. “I do, however, think that the text message or the wording of the email was a little too strong.”Freshman Aubree Craft said she felt fairly safe throughout the ordeal.“I was actually inside Read (Center) at the time. I stayed where I was. The door was locked. The windows were shut. I was fine,” Craft said.Craft’s mother Janine Vergis, who was at IU visiting her daughter this weekend, said it’s important for students to communicate with their parents when situations like this arise on campus.“I think she needs to notify me when something happens,” she said. “If I would’ve had the radio on or the television and heard about it, I would’ve been freaked out. It’s going to happen. It could happen anywhere.”
(10/25/11 4:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>James Lanham and Christopher Veneracion, scantily clad in superhero underwear briefs and sporting headbands, stocking caps and nipples painted in shapes of stars, strutted with poise and confidence on East Seventh Street toward Dunn Meadow.“I can already hear it (the music),” Lanham said as he approached.The two sophomores were among the estimated 2,500 students participating in the annual IU Homecoming kickoff of the Nearly Naked Mile, a benefit that donates all proceeds to United Way. United Way serves underprivileged people in the areas of education, earnings and essentials. The organization is supported by 25 local agencies.“I’m just going to get sexy with it,” Lanham said. “I’m not just going to get naked. I’m going to get dirty, too.”“I’m going to show more skin than I probably should be showing,” Veneracion said alongside his friend before the event.The two donated bundles of clothing to cover their admission price of $10 for the event. Participants had the option to either pay the admission price or donate clothing, which was given to United Way.IU Student Alumni Association’s vice president of philanthropy Kathleen Fennessy stood behind the long line of tables. Fennessy, along with the help of volunteers, was in charge of coordinating the event.“It’s probably the most unique philanthropy event,” Fennessy said. “It’s hard to get students to donate time and money, especially when they have so little of both.”The time was 8:50 p.m. A massive flood of students surrounded the DJ stage as fists pumped, speakers shook and shirts swung in the air. The Nearly Naked Mile was set to start within ten minutes. The race took students around Dunn Meadow, leading to Showalter Fountain, then near Ballantine Hall and finally finished at the Sample Gates.Students of all kind showed up to bare some skin and run for charity. Senior Laura Schultz hobbled her way through the crowd of students alongside her friends, dancing as best she could while her crutches supported her.“It (the run) might be kind of long and slow, but I’ve never run the Nearly Naked Mile before, so I had to do it this year, no matter what,” Schultz said.
(10/19/11 12:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As the Bloomington municipal election date draws nearer, candidates across the board are utilizing the last few weeks to draw voter attention to city issues. In the case of Jennifer Mickel, though, the spotlight is turned in the other direction, bringing focus to a situation that ultimately led to Mickel’s arrest after she bit and kicked a police officer in 2007. Mickel is running for a spot on the Bloomington City Council as an at-large candidate. “I am certain that you know that I am an animal lover,” Mickel said in a recent campaign video announcement. On June 25, 2007, Mickel and her two dogs made their way to a Bloomington coffee shop. As Mickel waited inside, the two dogs, tied to a tree outside the shop, allegedly bit passerby Jay Buchanan-Carter, who called the police. Bloomington Police Department Officers Randy Gehlhausen and Donald Pence arrived on the scene to find Buchanan-Carter and the owner of the coffee shop waiting outside near the dogs. Gehlhausen made his way into the coffee shop to locate Mickel and then led her to the scene. At the time, Mickel obliged the officer’s directions and followed him, although she insisted her dogs “don’t bite.” After Mickel told Pence that she was unable to provide proof of immunization, she was informed that the dogs must be quarantined in an animal control facility until their health could be validated.“You’re not going to take (my) dogs to those murderous people,” Mickel said, according to court documents. Mickel began to untie the two dogs from the tree and make her way toward her van. The officers told her that if she failed to further comply with their instruction, she would be arrested.“My dogs wouldn’t bite anybody,” Mickel said as she placed the dogs in her van. Pence attempted to handcuff Mickel. She began to “flail and twist her arms” so that her hands could not be placed behind her. She then shoved Pence. Gehlhausen grabbed Mickel and attempted a take-down maneuver. The two officers and Mickel fell into a grassy area near the van. With Mickel burying her hands underneath her, Gehlhausen attempted to pry out one of her arms. Mickel then bit Gehlhausen. The now-prospective councilwoman at-large kicked Gehlhausen in the chest and groin while he was continuing to free her arms.Mickel was charged by the state with resisting law enforcement as a Class A misdemeanor. She stood trial, and the jury found her guilty. Mickel was sentenced to 10 days in jail.She appealed the decision to the state Court of Appeals on the grounds that she did not believe that her actions constituted resisting law enforcement. The court rejected her appeal. Gehlausen and Pence declined to comment on the case for this story.Attempts to contact Mickel for comment were left unanswered.
(10/18/11 2:03am)
Freshman Matt Alsop is the survivor of a shark attack in July 2010 and after surgeries, he has adjusted to life at IU.
(10/11/11 3:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Student officers and representatives of Sierra Club gathered in Dunn Meadow on Monday to demonstrate alongside a model of a giant hand grasping an inhaler.Until spring 2009, IU Central Heating Plant struggled to find sufficient funding to help implement more sustainable production methods that would ideally reduce chemical emissions.In 2009, a press release from the plant indicated it was ready to test new equipment through means of operating coal-fired boilers, as well as fabric filters that are believed to “reduce emissions of particulate matter by as much as 95.5 percent.”Richard Wagner is director and CEO of a company called Phylein. Wagner’s team began work with IU, using algae to remove traces of carbon dioxide from gas emissions. It is being called “the algae project.”Wagner, who was unavailable for comment, was conducting research at the plant in order to measure the practicality of recycling carbon dioxide with algae, hence “the algae project.” “Algae are photosynthetic organisms that naturally absorb CO2,” Wagner said. “In simple terms, through photosynthesis, light energy from the sun is converted to chemical energy in the algae. This chemical energy is used to convert the CO2 absorbed from the air into simple sugars that the algae use as food for energy or as building blocks for other complex molecules or structures. Our goal is to recycle this gas through the algae to produce useful products.”Students on campus have expressed concern about burning fossil fuels. When fossil fuels burn, substantial amounts of carbon dioxide are emitted, posing a threat to the respiratory health of those within close proximity such as students on the IU campus. In a recent statement, Mark Menefee, assistant director for utilities at IU, said the University is in the process of compiling a document in order to provide updates on “the algae project.” The most recent updates are close to three years old.That was then. So where is IU now?
(10/05/11 3:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Police Department Officer Nick Luce pulled up in front of Tower A at Forest Quad. Quick to exit his vehicle, he was briefed on the situation, escorted up the elevator and brought to a female student who had been found in the stairwell.The woman, whose pink shirt was sporadically decorated with a diluted stream of vomit, sprawled on a blanket and other bed items. Additional personnel arrived on the scene and surveyed the situation. The girl’s blood-alcohol content registered at about .21. “You have two options — You can go to jail, or you can be taken to the hospital,” Luce said as he gazed down at the student. Luce said he is well aware of students’ all-fun-and-games-until-somebody-gets-a-drinking-ticket mentality. However, when it comes to his priorities as an IUPD officer, he said he feels a responsibility to keep students safe from both themselves and others.Luce, other emergency response officials and the Forest resident assistant on duty helped the incoherent female to the elevator and ensured she was in proper hands when the ambulance arrived.This event was not anything out of the ordinary for Luce; it was just another Saturday night. Luce, an IU alumnus and former IU football player, described his college experience as “the glory days.” He spoke of a time in which he, too, once dabbled in the waters of questionable decision-making. Now, five years post-graduation, Luce patrols his former stomping grounds, acting as not only an enforcer but also a mentor.“You can go enjoy college, but maturity has to increase,” Luce said.He spoke of his night patrols as more of a safety precaution than an opportunity to cite and reprimand youth wandering campus at odd hours of the night. “We cater to our clientele, so to speak,” Luce said.Luce said he isn’t out on the streets to write tickets, given that students are honest and straightforward, but he does ask that students be prepared to take responsibility when necessary. He said he wants to ensure the safe return home of all students, and he is always willing to simply talk. * * *Circling campus in his unmarked police car at about midnight on Oct. 2, Luce saw an alarmed young man in front of the Sigma Chi fraternity house who flagged down Luce’s vehicle.The man explained to Luce that a semi-conscious unknown male (not associated with the house or fraternity) was sprawled on the front steps.The young man who stopped Luce identified himself as Andrew Esstman, president of the IU chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Luce and other law enforcement officials on the scene commended Esstman and the fraternity for their prompt response and handling of the situation.“Sigma Chi is committed to insuring the safety and well-being of all members of the Bloomington and University community. The fraternity has risk management practices in place, which allow us to handle safety situations swiftly, effectively and appropriately,” Esstman said in a statement.At the scene at the Sigma Chi house, Luce knew each officer he encountered. He knows all the officers who work the late hours of the night shift. He spoke of a close and personal relationship with his coworkers. Luce described the department as one cohesive unit consisting of individuals with similar mindsets and goals.“I’m not going to save the world. I’m not Superman. If I can change one student’s attitude, that’s great,” Luce said. “I want (students) to see us as more than a blue uniform.”Luce said he finds himself constantly trying to tackle misconceptions about police officers, especially those on campus. “We’re just as trained as any other department,” Luce said. “We train just as hard, if not harder.”Luce said he has a passion for training and teaching and takes the responsibility very seriously. He grew up in and around law enforcement. His father served two terms as a county sheriff. Following in the “family business,” the prospect of teaching others excites Luce, he said. He will preach words of experience to anyone who asks.“Think before you act, and put yourself in the best situation possible,” Luce said. “Those little things growing up that Mom and Dad, or whoever raised you, said that you put in the back of your minds are the things (students need to use most).” As much as Luce praised his department, he also said there is always room for improvement. He said he would like to see further interaction with the Bloomington community and expand on a more interpersonal level.“There’s always something,” Luce said. “Getting out of our cars and (meeting) people.”Luce said one day he might consider an administrative position, but for now, the student athlete turned police officer is plenty comfortable in his police car.
(09/20/11 4:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When Matt Hay was first diagnosed with a rare disorder called type two Neurofibromatosis 14 years ago, he said there was nothing life-changing about the particular moment. But now, he is able to look back and tell where it all began. Despite undergoing two brain surgeries, five eye surgeries, a spine operation and having to relearn to walk twice, the IU alumnus completed the Ironman Triathlon in Sandusky, Ohio, on Sept. 11. “From an emotional standpoint, I try to live my life focusing on what I can do rather than what I cannot,” Hay said. “That has helped me a lot along the way. Even after a surgery when the doctors cannot say for sure if I will be able to walk, that doesn’t mean I can’t still hug my family.”Type two Neurofibromatosis, commonly referred to as NF2, affects one in 40,000 people. NF2 causes benign tumors to grow on nerves located on the spine and brain, which impaired several of Hay’s motor skills, including walking, talking and auditory function. Hay eventually lost total control of the left side of his face. Despite the daily hardships, Hay said he worked to persevere.“Within a few months of surgery, I had improved to a point where I could walk slowly on my own,” Hay said. “I just wanted to keep getting better at it. The walking led to some running. The running led to eventually a marathon and that eventually led to an Ironman distance triathlon. It was my way of saying that I might have NF2, but I’m going to be the one that defines what I can and cannot do, not the disease.”Under the circumstances, Hay had to learn how to communicate in spite of his condition. Alongside his wife, Nora Lasbury Hay, he learned sign language and how to read lips through classroom instruction. Hay said, as with any foreign language, it was difficult to become proficient without practicing on a regular basis.“I lost my hearing over the course of about 10 years,” Hay said. “While I don’t recommend losing your hearing, if you are going to do it, that is a good route to go.”After the loss of his hearing, Hay had an auditory brainstem implant, or ABI, surgically implanted in 2004 to restore his hearing. “I do better than I ever expected with the aid of lip reading and the ‘robotic’ nature of the ABI sound,” Hay said. “I don’t really listen to music and rely on closed-captioning for watching TV, but there are so many great tools out there now like Skype and CapTel phones. I tell people it’s the best time in history to be deaf.”The saying goes that ‘ignorance is bliss.’ Yet to Hay, ignorance was not an option. He said it was up to him to ask questions and educate himself on his condition to identify concerns and raise any questions he had with medical staff.“Just because a hospital is close to you doesn’t mean the doctor there is the one that should be making all the decisions for your treatment,” Hay said. “I see a surgeon in Chicago, had my ABI implanted in Los Angeles and will be attending the Children’s Tumor Foundation forum in Minneapolis for a case review with surgeons from the Mayo Clinic and Mass General.”Hay said the Foundation forum specifically geared toward NF2 will be a great opportunity to learn about several aspects of the disease including improvements in treatment and ways to make life easier. These include phone applications that identify certain theaters and entertainment venues that support a captioned format.***By comic book standards, the superhero’s efforts are typically proven futile without the pledged loyalty of a sidekick, and Hay’s story is no exception. Enter Lasbury Hay, former classmate and now wife.The two attended school together and graduated from IU in 1999. Hay even proposed to her in the Wells House.“We’re a good team because we’ve been through more challenges than the average couple has,” Lasbury Hay said. “When we’re down, one of us picks up the other and for the most part it’s not a worry from day to day.”Outreach and support toward the Hays was noted by family members.“I feel that the support has been overwhelming for both of us, especially our friends around here (who) understand the extra time commitment,” Lasbury Hay said. “We’re speechless. On Facebook, text messages, people checking in — there were so many people cheering for us, hoping for us and praying for us.”Hay engaged in a 36-week training program prior to his participation in Ironman. His most recent training plan started at about 12 hours per week during a span of six days and included increments of several 19-hour weeks as the big race drew near.Training for a triathlon was not something Hay jumped right into on a whim. He now attributes his participation in such events, as well as past events he competed in, to his wife. “I imagined crossing the finish line every single day of training for 36 weeks,” Hay said. “Sometimes it was with my wife; sometimes she would be waiting, and I’d give her a sweaty hug.”He also participated in an Olympic-distance triathlon in May, followed by a half Ironman triathlon in early July. Hay said competing in such events worked to instill confidence in his ability to successfully complete the Ironman itself, which consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. “What I didn’t account for in those images was how tired and sore I’d actually be,” Hay said. “So when I really did cross the finish line, I was filled with a lot of emotion but (was) too spent to really process them all. I remember being relieved that the day went well for me, proud that I had ‘really’ done it, but also exhausted enough to think, ‘I’m going to really appreciate this tomorrow."
(09/14/11 3:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Gracefully reaching a peak. Simultaneously kicking and unfolding. She descends toward the mass of water at speeds reaching about 15 mph.Former IU diver and 2008 Olympic qualifier Christina Loukas is no stranger to defying gravity.“I was shocked, then proud, then overwhelmed,” Loukas said of her victory at the 2008 Olympic trial meet. “After I came to the realization that I was officially going to the Olympics, I was overwhelmed,” she said. “I had focused all my time on getting ready for trials that now I had to shift my attention to getting ready to compete at the biggest meet of my life that was only two months away.”The dual-meet record holder, former Big Ten diver of the year and three-time high school state champion recently added a fourth-place finish in the world championships. She said she is hopeful that history will repeat itself next summer at the Olympic trials event.“This past world championships has really boosted my confidence for the upcoming Olympics,” Loukas said. “Getting fourth place showed that I can compete with the top divers in the world. Compared to my score at previous international competitions, I can see that I am starting to close the gap to the Chinese divers. I am really looking forward to this next year to see what I can do.”Loukas now trains in The Woodlands, Texas, under the coaching of Kenny Armstrong twice a day and five times a week. She spends at least 25 hours a week in the pool. On top of the regular training schedule, she also does yoga, pilates and cardio.“Right now my training is pretty laid back,” Loukas said. “I took a few weeks off and am now easing back into practice. The next month or so, I will focus a lot of time on technique by doing a lot of drills and breaking down my dives into segments.”Aside from their focus on dive performance, divers put heavy emphasis on their form and entry into the water. Drills, routines and imitations are performed both in and out of the water in order to achieve everything from flawless form to a “rip entry” to earn high marks from judges.“My primary focus right now is working on my entry into the water,” Loukas said. “As I get closer to trials, training will get more intense, focusing on performing my dives to the best of my ability and being consistent.”Having reached the pinnacle of international competition diving, the 2012 Olympic hopeful is confident in her abilities.“Before each dive in a competition, I get a few cues from my coach for me to think about,” Loukas said. “I have done my dives so many times in practice that I just focus on those cues, then let my body do the rest. You don’t want to overthink it.”